The Hunger Games
by AndreeaRaducan
Summary: Let the 74th annual Hunger Games begin!


**A/N: This is an AU that relies on the fact that the team members were born in the future. **

**Inspired by The Hunger Games. Can also be viewed as a rewrite of The Hunger Games (movie re-writes are my specialty)**

**I did a bit of Googling, and it seems that most people think The Hunger Games is set somewhere between the year 4000 and the year 5000. So, that is also my basis.**

**Now, the only thing that ties this into the Criminal Minds fandom is the characters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own CM.**

_The year is 4529. The world is a hostile place. After the destruction of the continent known as the Americas, the country of Panem came to be. In it were 13 Districts. At the head of the Districts sat the Capitol. It was thought that everything was in perfect harmony. Until the brutal uprising against the Capitol resulted in District 13 being destroyed._

_Every year, as a reminder of their actions, each District must give up two Tributes; a boy, and a girl, aged between 12 and 18. These Tributes are placed into an arena with the 22 other Tributes, and are made to kill each other until one remains, in brutal combat._

_This event is called the Hunger Games._

He watched from afar as she scampered through the woods that lay just beyond the fence of District 12. Her blonde hair hung in a messy braid down her back, sitting over the strap of her quiver. The bow was clutched tightly in her hand as she climbed a tall tree with quick, cat like movements in the early morning light.

He was in awe of this girl. He watched as she perched herself on a high branch and aimed her bow and arrow for a nearby deer. The deer was completely oblivious to her presence.

The shot went clean through the deer's eye as it fell to the ground in a dead heap.

"Impressive," he piped up. Startled, the girl almost fell out of the tree, but quickly caught herself, putting up a defensive stance and holding her bow at the ready, aiming straight for his heart.

With a hint of a smile playing around his lips, Derek Morgan stepped out of the shadows cast by the tall trees and leafy branches, his arms out to show he was carrying no weapons other than the spears on his back.

"I come in peace," he joked gently. The girl remained frozen, ready to shoot should he be lying.

"Take my deer and I'll kill you," she said threateningly. Derek raised his eyebrows, shrugging.

"I'm not here to poach...just observing," he replied simply. "I mean no harm"

"You could be from the Capitol. Come to spy," the girl said through clenched teeth, pulling the arrow back on the string a little further.

'Man, this girl sure is thorough...and paranoid,' Derek thought. Looking back up, he gave her a meaningful smile. "Look, blondie, I'm not from the Capitol, I'm not poaching, and I'm not going to hurt you"

"Then who are you?" the blonde shot back, letting the arrow slide back to just resting on the bow.

"Derek Morgan. My family lives over near the bakery, but we don't own any shops or anything. I've been hunting ever since I could throw a spear," Derek told her. Letting his hands fall to his sides, he watched as the young girl slid across the branch and dropped out of the tree, hitting the ground with the precision of a cat. Standing up, she held herself tall as she approached him.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" Derek prodded gently as she stood looking him over. Her eyes darted up to meet him, and for the first time, he noticed that were a piercing blue, as bright as the summer sky.

"Jennifer Jareau. Don't call me Jennifer, only my mother calls me that. I live in the Seam," she said darkly. Derek softened a little; the nature of her pinched skin and dull hair suddenly became clear. This girl was probably starving.

"Don't look at me like that," Jennifer snapped.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm some abandoned puppy. Yeah, I come from the Seam, but I'm not a charity case," she said coolly. Turning on her heel, she sauntered off into the bushes, making so little sound, Derek would think she was hovering above the ground. Quickly forcing his legs to move, Derek leapt after her, catching up in just a few steps.

"If I can't call you Jennifer, what can I call you?" he asked as he half skipped alongside her to keep up with her powerful strides.

"JJ," Jennifer replied simply. She turned to say something to him, when Derek lost his footing and slipped into a puddle of slimy moss and mud. For the first time, he saw Jennifer smile as she burst out laughing.

"Laugh it up," Derek muttered, pulling himself up and attempting to wipe most of the slime from his shirt. Looking at JJ, he found her suppressing laughter still. "What?"

Reaching up, she flicked a bit of stray moss from his eyebrow. Exchanging looks, they both laughed together.

* * *

After stringing up JJ's deer until they could collect it later, JJ showed Derek some of her favourite hunting spots. In exchange, Derek showed JJ how to set some basic snares. After a couple of hours of hunting, they sat in a clearing overlooking a wide valley. They had talked about the Reaping; that was today. Derek had learned that JJ was almost 14; three years younger than himself. She had a little sister, Sophia, who had just turned 12.

"Her name's in for the Games this year. She's so scared that she's going to get picked," JJ said softly. "I keep reassuring her that she's not going to get chosen"

"My sisters try not to let it worry them...but I can see it. I can see they're scared. Everyone is," Derek replied.

"How many times is your name in there?" JJ asked softly.

"21. 5 because I'm sixteen, and 16 for enough tesserae for my family. You?"

"16. 3 because I'm nearly fourteen, 13 for tesserae"

Derek had also learned that her parents were no help in taking care of them. In many ways, JJ was the adult of the family. Derek had also learned that JJ would only share what she wanted you to know. She would not let on as to why her parents were so withdrawn.

JJ already trusted Derek. He was genuine. His eyes conveyed to her that he wasn't going to hurt her. She felt safer already with him. She'd always been scared of the woods, but after her parents became the reclusive withdrawn people that they were, she'd had to shunt it aside to provide for her family.

"I guess we'd better go and get ready for the Reaping," Derek said softly. JJ nodded numbly, standing up and slinging her quiver of arrows over her shoulder.

"See you there?" she said lightly. Derek nodded, watching as she stalked back into the shadows of the woods.

* * *

Sophia clutched JJ's hand tightly as they approached the sign in desk. She let out a whimper as she noticed the sharp pricks they were giving each child.

"It's ok, it's just a little prick. They'll take a drop of your blood to sign you in," JJ said reassuringly. Sophia nodded, tears in her worried eyes as she approached the desk.

"Hand," the person at the desk said. Sophia tentatively held out her hand, wincing as she felt the sharp prick in her finger. Her eyes darted around as she was shunted to the waiting area with the other kids, searching for JJ, who was no longer in sight.

JJ barely registered the prick in her finger, and had disappeared from the table as soon as her blood was registered. She searched frantically for Sophia until she was pushed into line with the others as Effie Trinket approached the microphone.

They stood in silence, waiting for Effie to speak.

"Welcome to the Reaping ceremony for the 74th annual Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!"

JJ was numb through the Hunger Games film that was shown. She barely registered it. Despite all the reassurance that Sophia wouldn't get picked, she was terrified. Glancing to her left, she smiled a little when Derek gave her a comforting smile. She only completely snapped back to reality when Effie announced that it was time to select the Tributes.

"Ladies first!" Effie called in her shrill voice, teetering over to the glass bowl on her stilettos. Reaching in with her claw like fingers, she hesitated, before plucking a name out of the bowl. Approaching the microphone again, she carefully lifted the sticky tab, and unfolded the name slip. Taking a breath, she moved closer to the microphone.

"Sophia Jareau!"

JJ's heart stopped and her face went pale. She couldn't see Sophia from where she was standing.

Sophia was frozen. Her face was unmoving.

"Sophia Jareau! Where are you?" Effie called.

Submitting to the urges of the other kids, who had parted to allow her out, Sophia turned and headed for the center aisle, reaching behind her and tucking her shirt back into her skirt.

JJ noticed the two blond plaits heading for the middle, and fought through the throng of kids to get to the middle.

"Sophie!" she called out. Two men from the District Hall stopped her as Sophia glanced back over her shoulder.

"Sophie!" JJ called again, fighting desperately against the men.

"Stop, you can't go any further!" one of the men exclaimed.

"I VOLUNTEER!" JJ screamed, getting everyone's attention.

The whispered hum that had started when Sophia began to make her way up suddenly fell. The men relaxed as JJ took a deep breath, smoothing out her dress. "I volunteer!"

"Well, look at this, we have a volunteer!" Effie said excitedly. "Come up here, darling"

JJ made a beeline for Sophia, who burst into tears.

"JJ, please don't, please," Sophia sobbed.

"Sophie, listen to me, it's going to be ok, alright? It's going to be ok," JJ said quickly, raising her voice to be heard over Sophia.

"JJ, don't, I don't want you to go," Sophia sobbed, clutching at JJ.

"I have to go. I can't let you get hurt"

"But JJ-"

"Go to Mom and Dad, ok. Go to Mom and Dad," JJ instructed.

"No, JJ-"

She was cut off by Derek approaching them and lifting her up into his arms.

"JJ! NO! JJ, PLEASE! JJ!" Sophia screamed as Derek carried her away. JJ swallowed hard to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill as she watched Derek carry her baby sister over to her parents.

Approaching the stairs, she felt a little woozy as she climbed up onto the stage.

"Well, here we have it, District 12's first volunteer! What's your name, sweetheart?" Effie called excitedly. The crowd remained hushed and silent.

"Jennifer Jareau," JJ said numbly.

"Our female tribute, Jennifer Jareau!" Effie exclaimed. No-one made a sound.

"And now, for our male tribute!" she announced. Moving to the other side of the stage, she wasted no time in plucking a paper slip from that bowl. Again, she moved back to the microphone.

"William LaMontagne Junior!" she called out happily. JJ watched, unblinking, as a handsome young man, probably about Derek's age, moved from the crowd, his face ghostly grey as he made his way up to stand on Effie's other side.

"Let's give it up for our Tributes!" Effie said happily, grabbing their hands and lifting their arms into the air. The crowd remained deathly silent. With one last fleeting glance at a sobbing Sophia, JJ was forced to turn around and walk into the District Hall. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was the heavy slam of the doors behind her, cutting her off from the rest of the world.

**A/N: I know it's a little bit rushed, but this part of the movie is a little fuzzy in my mind. Hope you enjoyed it so far!**

**Please leave a review!**

**SQ215 xxx**


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